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Candida vulturna, the Next Fungal Menace? A Narrative Review

Summary

Candida vulturna is a newly discovered yeast that causes serious blood infections, particularly in vulnerable patients like premature infants and those with cancer. Though still rare, cases are increasingly appearing in tropical regions with documented hospital outbreaks. While the infection has a better survival rate than related species, it resists several common antifungal drugs, making treatment challenging and requiring careful use of remaining effective medications.

Background

Candida vulturna is a member of the Candida haemulonii species complex, related to the clinically important Candida auris. This yeast was first identified less than 10 years ago from flowers and human blood, yet invasive infections are increasingly reported globally.

Objective

To compile all reported outbreaks and cases of C. vulturna invasive infections and describe the clinical characteristics, epidemiology, antifungal susceptibility patterns, and treatment outcomes of this emerging pathogen.

Results

All 94 invasive cases were reported in the last 10 years, predominantly from Asian and Latin American countries with three documented outbreaks in Brazil, Vietnam, and China. Most patients were male (82%), with low overall 30-day mortality of 18%. Isolates showed reduced susceptibility to azoles and amphotericin B but remained susceptible to echinocandins, which showed favorable clinical outcomes.

Conclusion

Although C. vulturna remains rare, cases are increasingly reported in tropical regions with outbreak potential. The species demonstrates reduced susceptibility to azoles and amphotericin B, but echinocandins remain effective with low mortality rates. MALDI-ToF misidentification as related species underscores the need for molecular identification methods.
  • Published in:Mycoses,
  • Study Type:Narrative Review,
  • Source: PMID: 40396413, DOI: 10.1111/myc.70070
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